Monday Memo October 2, 2017

Dean's Message

Dear Colleagues: 

At my State of the College Address I mentioned how excited I am about this year's Day of Giving -- "Raise Some 'L'" -- scheduled for October 11 of Homecoming Week. This year, the University is introducing a wonderful crowdfunding platform that can easily make us all fundraising ambassadors for our own A&S departments and programs. This Friday, we will be holding an info session in which Will Holley, Director of Annual Giving, will provide you with everything you need to know in order to participate. Please join us on 10/6 at 3 pm in Humanities 100. I hope as many of you as possible can be there. Those who attend will be entered into a drawing for one of several lunches for two at the University Club!

Also, it is my pleasure to recommend an interesting new teaching resource to you today. In these times where attention spans are shorter and technology more commonplace, it is important that faculty have access to the best tools for instruction. Prof. Edna Ross (Psychological & Brain Sciences), Chair of the A&S Technology Committee, invites you to hear about Perusall, October 13, 12-1:30 in the TILL (Ekstrom library) from her and other faculty who use it.  

Thanks! 
Kimberly Leonard
Kimberly Kempf-Leonard, Dean


Dear A&S Faculty:

Would you like to transform your students into thoughtful readers who actually enjoy completing their reading assignments? If so, I would like to introduce to you an amazing new instructional software platform that turns solitary reading requirements into engaging, collective activities where students actively interact with each other around their reading assignments.
 
Perusall was created and developed by Harvard’s Eric Mazur and has been used at UofL in both online and face-to-face courses. As Chair of the A&S Technology and Facilities Committee and a user of the software myself, I will discuss data, lessons learned, and benefits of using Perusall.
 
Perusall has been a game changer for both me and my students. Not only do I now have a way of holding students accountable for reading assignments, student feedback is very favorable. They report that they not only read the assignments, but that they actually enjoy the readings, like sharing their own perspectives, and look forward to reading their classmates’ points of view. Perusall tags automatically the best annotations from any reading assignment so I know who to call upon to jump-start in-class discussions or seed Blackboard Discussion Boards. And, best of all, Perusall automatically grades each student annotation (quite accurately) and is totally free for both faculty and student use. 

One student had this to say about the impact of Perusall on their class experience: “I absolutely loved Perusall. I thought it gave the in-class discussion feel to an online class. I liked being able to see my classmates’ perspective on things and have an open dialogue between everyone.”
 
On Oct. 13 at 12 noon in the TILL, attendees will

  • Explore the Perusall platform
  • Discuss survey data from UofL psychology Perusall courses!
  • Glean strategies for accessing and using Perusall for any type of reading content in any subject.

Please RSVP to Carol Singleton at Carol.Singleton@louisville.edu by 4:30 PM on WEDNESDAY, October 11.

Edna Ross, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
502-852-7115

Announcements

Mary K. Bonsteel Tachau Essay Contest Submissions Accepted
The UofL Women's Center is accepting submissions from currently enrolled UofL undergraduate and graduate students for the Tachau Essay Contest. The purpose of the contest is to raise awareness of the historical sociological attitudes toward women of the 20th century and their impact on individuals and society as a whole. Award amount for winning entries are $500 each for undergraduate and graduate students. Staff and faculty are encouraged to share with students information about this contest. The deadline to apply is Friday, October 6, 2017. For application and more details visit the Women's Center website.
 

Nichols Professional Development Award
UofL graduate and professional school students can apply for the 2017 Dr. M. Celeste Nichols Professional Development Award to support academic and professional enrichment beyond normal program expenses. The deadline to apply is Friday, October 6, 2017. For more details visit the Women's Center website.
 

Call for Gender Equity Award
Nominations are being accepted through October 6 for the Mary K. Tachau Gender Equity Award. The award goes to a member of the UofL community whose work has directly furthered women's equality and gender equity. More information available on Women's Center website. Submit nominations to Valerie M. Casey (vmcase01@louisville.edu).

Research & Creative Activity

Prof. Yanoviak to participate in ACCelerate
Prof. Steve Yanoviak (Biology) will present at the first ACCelerate: ACC Smithsonian Creativity and Innovation Festival on October 13-15, 2017, sponsored by Virginia Tech and the Smithsonian Institution, and held at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Prof. Yanoviak willl present "Rain Forest Canopy Ecology."
 

Teaching

Round-table Conversation: "Engaging Diverse Voices in Writing & Reading"
At a moment when issues of race, language, and culture are prominent in national conversations, the reading and writing students engage in presents both opportunities, and sometimes challenges. Join us as A&S faculty from several disciplines lead a conversation about how they approach such issues in assigning and responding to reading and writing in their courses. The roundtable participants include David Anderson (English), Karen Chandler (English), Melanie Gast (Sociology), Katherine Massoth (History), and Kiki Petrosino (English). October 5, 4 pm. For more, go to University Writing Center event.

Kudos

Smith's film, Our Half Acre, wins local film festival
Prof. Remington Smith's (Communication) short film, Our Half Acre, won the Louisville 48 Hour Film Festival, earning Best Film, Best Directing, Best Script. It now goes on to compete internationally at Filmapalooza for a chance to screen at the Cannes Film Festival. See the director's cut here
 

Liberal Studies student Brandt Coleman named a 2017 Clinton Global Scholar
Brandt Coleman ('18) was recently named a 2017 Clinton Global Scholar in the area of environment. As such, he has been invited to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University summit at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts in October. The meeting will bring together innovative student leaders to make Commitments to Action in CGI U's five focus areas: Education, Environment and Climate change, Peace and Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health. CGIU is a community of young leaders who take real, concrete steps toward solving urgent issues. Throughout the year, and as a prerequisite of attending the CGI U meeting, students develop their own Commitments to Action: new, specific, and measurable initiatives that address pressing challenges on campus, in local communities, or around the world. Coleman’s project involves environmental actions he implemented with the support of Floyds Fork Environmental Association and for which he also received the Civic Leadership Award. Brandt is an honor’s senior in the Individualized Major program at the University of Louisville. He just returned to U of L to complete his undergraduate studies after spending a year in Germany on a U.S. State Department sponsored fellowship. 

In the News

Which state has strongest claim to Abraham Lincoln? (WFYI Indianapolis, 9/18/17) - Announcement of panel discussion on 9/28 titled "Searching for Lincoln" that would include Prof. Thomas Mackey (History) as one of the three panelists. 

Arts and culture make Louisville economically attractive (Courier-Journal, 9/18/17) - Dean Kimberly Kempf-Leonard weighs in on the importance of the liberal arts to the arts and culture scene in Louisville.

University of Louisville pulls funding from student newspaper. Could this mean the end? (Courier-Journal,
9/18/17) - Prof. Ralph Merkel (Communication), the Cardinal's faculty adviser, weighs in on the future of the paper. 

Will South Side presidential center serve as the Obamas' final resting place? (Chicago Tribune, 9/19/17) - Prof. Benjamim Hufbauer (Fine Arts) weighs in on the significance of presidential burial cites. Article also references Prof. Hufbauer's 2006 book Presidential Temples: How Memorials and Libraries Shape Public Memory.

Comedian scheduled to provide ‘social reimbursement’ to grad students (UofL News, 9/21/17) - Includes quote from chemistry doctoral student Kelsey Kaht. 

Theatre Arts kicks off new season with ‘Miss Ida B. Wells’ (UofL News, 9/21/17) - About Theatre Arts' most recent production, Miss Ida B. Wells.

Commentary: U of L Student Newspaper Decision ‘Penny Wise, Pound Foolish’ (WFPL.org, 9/22/17) - References the success of two of A&S alumni - Richard Northern and Stephen George - and their roles as editors in chief of the The Cardinal.

We wear the mask (Arts-Louisville.com, 9/24/17) –  A review of the Theatre Arts' production of Miss Ida B. Wells. 

Medicaid expansion isn’t an entitlement. It’s a smart investment. (Blue Virginia blog, 9/25/17) - References research by UofL's Urban Studies Institute.

Most black athletes are not prepared for this brawl (Courier-Journal, 9/26/17) - Prof. Ricky Rones (Pan-African Studies) weighs in ongoing debate about protesting black NFL players.